Tome Thursday: Elemental Becoming

 

Hello everyone!

 

Despite the fact I'm pretty much a melted version of myself through this heatwave every single day as I return from work, we persevere.

 

And I've had this book on the backburner for the blog since FOREVER ago.

 

All I needed to wait for was for it to officially release.

 

Which it did - just this week! Monday, to be precise.

 

Ironically, it's also the day I had to go back to work after my vacation, so naturally this means that I was dead on my feet by the time it was time to do some happy dance posts about it, but that's just the way we roll, sadly.

 

Now, however, I've at least got SOME energy and strength left in me because I think I drank twice my body weight in water today, and got some sugar in me during lunchtime. That should keep me safe and sound for the time being, I think!

 

So without further ado, let's head right into the thick of the story that we're about to experience, shall we? Good books wait for no man.

 

And neither does Elemental Becoming.

 

Tome Thursday: Rage of Krakens

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back.

 

This will be my last blog post until I return from vacation, because I really, truly, desperately need a bit of a break and I don't plan on doing anything but relaxing, swimming, and possibly reading when I'm not sleeping like a baby while I'm away haha.

 

So I'm going to try and make this one count!

 

Tonight's choice is a book that literally JUST released on Amazon and to retailers worldwide, which is somewhat of a feat for me because I generally don't get to new releases this quickly.

 

Normally, I'd let them sit there for a bit until picking them up.

 

But I was VERY lucky to get chosen for an ARC for this book, and because I'd already read a few works from the author, I was super stoked.

 

Juliette Caruso writes SO well, and I AM HERE FOR IT.

 

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen: Rage of Krakens.

 

Talkie Tuesday: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

 

"In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave;

In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just;

In the name of the Mother, I charge you to defend the innocent."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome.

 

Welcome, welcome, back to the continent of Westeros, and the stories and (mis)adventures that happen to take place within it.

 

Now, I've by this point made my peace with the fact Martin will absolutely never finish his A Song of Ice and Fire series. That's cool, that's great, let's move along now.

 

And yes, season 8 was basically trash and we're not here to talk about it again.

 

House of the Dragon returns for its third season this summer, but IN THE MEANTIME, we get to talk about our very favourite hedge knight!

 

Buckle up, grab those spears, make sure your shields are strong and reinforced enough, and then find the nearest snorting charger, because we're about to enter a tournament, and boy, will you need all the luck you can get to survive it.

 

The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, everybody!

 

Tome Thursday: Elemental Awakening

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome.

 

Welcome to tonight's book of choice, which landed in my lap literally forever ago and completely at random - so random, in fact, that I can't even remember how!

 

Although I have vague recollections of finding a post asking for ARC readers for it, and applying thinking that it was never going to happen, yet here I am.

 

Having read the ARC, backed the Kickstarter project, and now seeing the book release into the world.

 

Because yes, it's release week, bby!

 

The official published prints went live February 9, and it has been a WILD ride. It's only getting better too, because the second book is coming this summer, there's a novella focusing on a fan favoured side character slated for autumn ... it's a good time to be in this world, is what I'm saying.

 

So buckle up, get your fingers all flexed and ready, sharpen those swords, and dust off ye ole leathers from our Empyrean drought; here there be dragons!

 

Let's walk with them in Elemental Awakening.

 

Tome Thursday: Of Sky and Sea

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back to the blog.

 

Tonight's book of choice is just over one month in the world today! So congrats to it, and the author, because that's an amazing feat.

 

I'd actually read a copy of this book way back in December, but didn't get a chance to talk about it on here much at all, because I was too busy with other books, and of course, the Christmas thing that I have going on here.

 

But now I finally can, so here we are.

 

Let's dive into prophecies, angels, demons, vampires, the works.

 

There's a whole lot of fantasy characters all bopping around in here, and of course there's a prophecy that will probably make you want to cry your eyes out. 

 

Without further ado, here we go, then.

 

Of Sky and Sea.

 

Tome Thursday: Queen of Shadows

 

Hello everyone!

 

What do you say when it's been nearly a decade since you sat down to review the preceding book to tonight's blog choice?

 

Equally, what do you say that could POSSIBLY even be said?

 

I mean, after all ... my last Throne of Glass book series post was back in 2017.

 

Then I went and fell off the wagon somehow.

 

I can remember most of my reasons why, but recently, a co-worker of mine really got into reading these fantasy novels, and she kept pestering me about A Court of Silver Flames, then moved along to the rest of the Throne of Glass books.

 

Because I stopped over halfway through and just never picked back up again. Who am I kidding either, I have yet to review any of the Crescent City series on here, too, despite the fact I HAVE read at least the first book.

 

But without further ado, let's just jump right in, shall we? Our characters have been eagerly waiting, and they're trying so hard to shine in Queen of Shadows.

 

Talkie Tuesday: The Wheel of Time

 

"For the land is one with the Dragon Reborn, and He is one with the land." 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to tonight's hot topic of choice for this blog post.

 

I'm sure, if you've been following along my reviews for a while, you could probably see this coming, not to mention I practically said as much in a few of my earlier ones leading up to today.

 

But how can I NOT review what is quickly becoming one of the greatest fantasy adaptations in this day and age?

 

Sure it had a rocky start.

 

Sure it kind of stood on wobbly legs for the first season and a half.

 

But it's found the footing it was looking for now, and HOT DAMN is it sure footing.

 

Without further ado, let's dust off our Great Serpent rings and brace ourselves, because we're looking at the third season of The Wheel of Time.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Sirens of the Deep

 

"It takes bravery to stand against a crowd."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back to the Continent.

 

Or, shall we say, welcome back to Jaskier's world, which Geralt is only living in, and he's mostly disgruntled about it.

 

When tonight's blog choice was first announced, back in the day, I was super stoked, because Nightmare of the Wolf had been a pretty good addition to The Witcher universe, and it seemed like Netflix was really going to go places with these adaptations.

 

... of course, then the Henry Cavill thing happened, and one thing led to another, and now I don't know when season 4 is even airing, nor will I be watching it.

 

But I DID watch this one, because it's an adaptation of a short story that Andrzej Sapkowski wrote, called 'A Little Sacrifice'.

 

I loved it back then, and I love it even more now, so let's go ahead and have a look at Sirens of the Deep, shall we?

 

Tome Thursday: Onyx Storm

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welp. We back, baby.

 

I'm not entirely sure how long it's been since the last time I set foot onto the Continent (literary speaking, of course), but I do know it's been a WHILE.

 

And man oh MAN have things gone from bad, to worse!

 

Now that THAT's out of the way, let's dive right into the nitty gritty of it all, shall we?

 

Because these dragons aren't messing around.

 

Neither, it turns out, are their riders either, which means that we really should be prepared for the fourth book when it eventually releases.

 

For the time being, buckle up, bring all them alloy daggers that you own, make sure you tell the people you love that you love them, and above everything else: do NOT, I repeat, do NOT piss off the largest dragons on the Continent.

 

And no, you don't need an umbrella to brave this Onyx Storm.

 

Tome Thursday: The Return of the King

 

Hello everyone!

 

Well, we made it.

 

Against all odds - mostly because I wasn't entirely sure I'd be able to make this possible, given I was so sick at one point I felt like I was coughing up vital organs along with my sanity - we've finally reached the end of the road.

 

At least, for the time being.

 

Like I mentioned in Tuesday's post, I'll still be having a look at The War of the Rohirrim, just to see whether or not it's worth the watch, and possibly it'll find its way onto the blog post at some point or other.

 

However, that's going to have to wait, because lo and behold, tonight's post is the very last "regular" of this calendar year.

 

Advent begins this weekend, and if you've been following my blog for some years, you know what that means.

 

For now, let's take the road less-travelled, as they say, and make sure we end things right, in The Return of the King.

 

Talkie Tuesday: The Return of the King

 

"One Ring to rule them all ..."

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome back to the conclusion of our journey to Middle-Earth.

 

Well, alright, I'm probably not saying goodbye forever, that's just not going to work out for me seeing as I spend a lot of my waking (and sleeping!) hours in that particular fantasy world.

 

But so far as the movies go, for the time being, this is going to be the end.

 

I do in fact plan on watching War of the Rohirrim, although I'll admit I'm going in very wary, mostly because it feels like they're trying to shove another girl-boss down our throats when they didn't actually need to do it, but I digress.

 

I'll be seeing that eventually, but for tonight, we need to see just what the Companions of the Ring are willing to sacrifice on this last leg of their journey.

 

How far are all of them willing to go?

 

There's only one way to find out: we have to dive deep into The Return of the King.

 

Tome Thursday: The Two Towers

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back.

 

You've probably figured out by now, if you're a casual reader of this blog, that I'm covering The Lord of the Rings in both movie and book form on here for the remainder of this autumn season.

 

Of course, if you've been paying attention and are a long-time follower, you know I love ANYTHING Tolkien that I can get my hands on.

 

Lord of the Rings? My favourite of all time.

 

So really, this sequence of events was a no-brainer.

 

In fairness, I might eventually look at other book-to-movie things and review them side-by-side if I can, or if I feel like it, but for now let's stop dallying, shall we?

 

It's time to make further steps towards Mordor, and we won't be able to do them unless we actually get to it.

 

Here's to The Two Towers.

 

Talkie Tuesday: The Two Towers

 

"One Ring to rule them all ..."

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome back to our Lord of the Rings journey.

 

If you're looking at your calendars and wondering, yes, I planned this.

 

I figured out that if I review the entire Hobbit trilogy as well as the Lord of the Rings one, I just make it to December when I can easily segue into my annual Christmas watching and reading.

 

Nifty, huh?

 

That said, I also hope you're ready for the ride in tonight's blog, because boy oh boy, this movie ... let's just say it has the harshest critics. Mostly because, out of all the trilogy, it suffered the biggest amount of changes to the timeline and the plots.

 

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, though, and maybe "suffered" isn't the right word to use. Generally speaking I still love it, and I'm a die-hard Tolkien fan!

 

So let's jump right in and see what that says about The Two Towers.

 

Tome Thursday: The Fellowship of the Ring

 

Hello everyone!

 

Saw this coming, didn't you?

 

If you didn't, then you should have.

 

It makes the most logical sense to cover the movie trilogy and then ensure that the book will be standing right alongside it, just because.

 

And also for all the differences that came from adapting the text onto our screens!

 

Peter Jackson did a wonderful job, but we have to remember that it was Tolkien who first started all of this and wrote an epic saga that we continue to be drawn to years after its initial publication.

 

For me, personally, I read these books once a year, without fail, and have done so for over a decade now, but I STILL discover new things each time I read.

 

I also cry every time I read, that too.

 

So without further ado, let's hop right into The Fellowship of the Ring.

 

Talkie Tuesday: The Fellowship of the Ring

 

"One Ring to rule them all ..."

 

Hello everyone!

 

I can't believe I haven't written this before.

 

Genuinely, this is my all-time favourite movie, bar none, and this goes for the trilogy as a whole rather than one separate movie, because there's no way to pick among them. It'd be like trying to pick your favourite child, and that's definitely not happening!

 

Of course then I take a look at the blog and realize ... I've never reviewed these.

 

Ever.

 

Which is a shame and a colossal one at that, dishonour on me, my family, and my cow combined follows after this announcement.

 

So without further ado, let's jump right into the epic adventure that New Line Cinema took a huge risk on back in the day, which was literal years in the making, and burst onto the silver screens with almost literal fireworks: The Lord of the Rings, part one, The Fellowship of the Ring!

 

Talkie Tuesday: The Desolation of Smaug

 

"In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit ..."

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to the second part of our own incredible journey through Middle-Earth via the movies that have been released over the years.

 

Was I partly inspired to rewatch these because of how dismally I'm disappointed with Rings of Power?

 

Possibly.

 

In any event, I promised you all six of Peter Jackson's masterpieces, and so here we are with number two of the saga.

 

As you can probably tell, I'm really fond of doing things chronologically if I possibly can, so that's why we're starting with The Hobbit rather than with the trilogy that Jackson made first.

 

So without further ado, let's jump right back into it, and check out what our Dwarves have been up to, in The Desolation of Smaug.

 

Talkie Tuesday: An Unexpected Journey

 

"In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit ..."

 

Hello everyone!
 

And welcome to the first evening out of six during which we'll be going on an epic adventure worth more than just our time.

 

Like I mentioned somewhere at some point, Tolkien has been my all-time favourite author for ... well, at this point it's been decades I would think, and that's kind of a little scary, but also kind of not at the same time.

 

Recently, I've also been able to look back on the movies they released during epic fantasy heyday, and of course all my memories were roused, as well.

 

These movies defined my life in such a strong way that it'd be impossible for me to define exactly how much, so instead I'm going to let the blogs do my talking for me.

 

This means it's time to pack up our handkerchiefs and get our walking sticks out, because The Hobbit launches with An Unexpected Journey, right now!

 

Synopsis Saturday: House of the Dragon

 

"There is no war so hateful to the gods as a war between kin;

and no war so bloody as a war between dragons."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Miss me?

 

I know this one took me forever. I know. I was a little bit shell-shocked after the season finale this past week and needed a little bit of time to gather my thoughts, because this season was a lot of ups and downs.

 

Mainly ups, but definitely some of downs, and nope we're not in Nottingham!

 

We're in Westeros. A long time before Game of Thrones, although it's all the same in this Song of Ice and Fire saga which HBO is intent on building, considering we're getting A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms too now.

 

It's a bit like something that the Hobbits realize in The Lord of the Rings: they're part of a bigger story, and after they're gone, others will continue it, just as others started it before them

 

But enough with me maudlin. It's time to get serious, because the storm's broken in House of the Dragon.

 

Tome Thursday: Shadows of the Dark Realm

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to the last "regular" book review until 2024, because as of next week, we begin our Christmas-themed extravaganza which has seen us through many a-holiday season here on this blog, of course.

 

Hey, let a girl live. I LOVE me some Christmas!

 

But I also love picking up new and exciting stories, too.

 

Tonight's choice is one of them, although it still has some ways to go before it can be perfectly polished and on par with the greats like Tolkien and Jordan.

 

Nevertheless, it's good. It drew me in and made me want to figure out where the heck it was going, and how it was going to end, and definitely gave me some twists along the way as I read it.

 

I was also pleasantly surprised to be approached by the author who so graciously sent me an ARC of his book in the first place. Doesn't matter for how long I've been doing this, it still humbles me immensely when people reach out like that. I'm here for it!

 

And so without further ado: Shadows of the Dark Realm, by Tyler Edwards.

 

Talkie Tuesday: The Wheel of Time

 

"The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills."

 

Hello everyone!

And welcome, once again, to the many multiple turnings of this thing we like to call ... but wait, let's rewind slightly.

I'm a little late this year with my review of the second season to this show, partly because there's just been SO MUCH to catch up on, and partly because my job keeps me from keeping up as well as I used to while jobless.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm thankful to HAVE a job in the current climate, but it's true that you're severely hampered by this stuff LOL.

So anyway, I finally literally blew through the eight episodes of the second season, and MAN is the show getting better and better with each installment. It's like someone's been reborn on the turning of the Wheel or something.

Yep, I know you know what tonight's all about: the second season of Amazon's Wheel of Time adaptation!